TROPICAL DESIGN

AR223
 CLIMATE
climate
Defined a region with certain temperature,
dryness, wind, light, etc.
An integration in time of the atmospheric
environment of a certain geographical
location.
climate  The air close to the surface is heated
and rises, creating low pressure.
Weather and  As the earth is not heated evenly,
climatic forces are pockets of relatively high and low
products of solar pressures are formed over its surface
radiation. and wind is a direct consequence of
this pressure differential, as air is
The atmosphere moved from areas of high pressure to
of the earth areas of low pressure.
absorbs solar
energy which in
turn warms the
planet’s surface.
Climatic Factors
1. Solar Radiation
a. UV Radiation
b. Visible Light
c. Short Infra-Red
Radiation (Radiant Heat)
2. Tilt of the Earth’s Axis
3. Thermal Balance
4. Winds
5. Topography
Climatic Elements
1. SOLAR RADIATION – absorbs direct scattered
source of almost all earth’s energy occurs in short
wavelengths.
Radiant Heat Affects the Structures
a. Direct Short Wave Radiation
b. Diffused Short Wave Radiation
c. Reflected Short Wave Radiation
d. Long Wave Radiation (From heated
ground and surrounding structures)
Climatic Elements
2. AIR TEMPERATURE – annual, monthly and
diurnal maximum and minimum temperature.
Dry Bulb Temperature (DBT) – This is the
measurement of the temperature of the air and
as far using a thermometer and can either be in
units of Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Climatic Elements
3. ATMOSPHERIC HUMIDITY
a. Absolute Humidity – amount of moisture present in the air (g/m3)
b. Specific Humidity – weight of unit vapor per unit weight of air (g/kg)
c. Vapor Pressure – partial pressure of water vapor present in the air
d. Relative Humidity (RH) – refers to the amount of water in the air. RH
is measured using hygrometer and can be in the form of Wet Bulb
Temperature (WBT) in Fahrenheit or Celsius or in Relative Humidity
(RH) in percent (%).
RH = abs. hum. X 100
saturation point
RH = Act. Amt of moisture present
Amt. of moisture the air could hold
Climatic Elements
4. PRECIPITATION – data in the form of total
monthly rainfall of maximum rainfall during
the 24 hr. period. This is mainly rainfall but can
also be in the form of dew. Precipitation is
measured using rain gauge in units of inches or
centimeters.
Climatic Elements
5. WIND – The direction, frequency and force of the
wind throughout the year.
MICROCLIMATIC CONDITIONS
1. Time of Day
2. Topography
3. Water
4. Ground Surfaces
5. Vegetation
WORLD CLIMATES
General Types of Climate
1. Hot Humid (Tropical)
2. Hot Arid
3. Temperate
4. Cold
Thermal Comfort
 Human comfort as determined by the ability of
the body to dissipate the heat and moisture it
produces by metabolic action.
 Thermal Comfort is a condition of both physical
and mental well-being, and designers are
responsible for providing an internal climatic
environment that can produce it.
 The ventilation of a building is directly related to
thermal comfort. By increasing the air velocity,
the comfort zone shifts to a higher temperature.

 This means that occupants of the building will

feel more comfortable, even though the building
is not actual being cooled.
Microclimate
 If a building is to relate to and gain from its
environment, it is important to understand
regional weather patterns, but the microclimate
of the area must also be carefully examined.
The following factors can alter the
macroclimate to produce a quite different
microclimate:
 TIME OF DAY
 Day and night will produce two quite different
conditions sometimes reversing the direction of the
prevailing wind. This is particularly the case in
mountainous regions, where air will rise up a mountain
during the day and fall during the night.
 Large bodies of water can also have the effect of
reversing the wind flow as day turns to night.
The following factors can alter the
macroclimate to produce a quite different
microclimate:
 VEGETATION AND SOIL TYPE
 Vegetation can produce enclosed conditions, either
altering or reducing the wind speed or direction. The
heat capacity, color and water content soil will affect
the amount of heat absorption and therefore the
ground temperature.
 This can have a significant effect on the microclimate
because the ground temperature influences pressure
systems.
The following factors can alter the
macroclimate to produce a quite different
microclimate:
 MAN-MADE STRUCTURES
 The built environment can significantly alter a
microclimate. Overall, wind speed will be 25% lower in
built-up areas, though very high local wind speeds can
occur due to urban canyons (buildings and streets that
channel wind flow).
The following factors can alter the
macroclimate to produce a quite different
microclimate:
 TOPOGRAPHY
 Generally, wind speeds will increase with altitude. The
steeper the slope of land, the faster the temperature
will drop at night, and this will alter the wind direction.

 The topography of the earth’s surface has a major

effect on microclimate, diverting or blocking winds,
are therefore more desirable than north-facing slopes.
The following factors can alter the
macroclimate to produce a quite different
microclimate:
 PROXIMITY TO BODIES OF WATER
 The proximity of land to a water mass will create air
currents. Water has a high heat capacity and therefore
large water mass will not absorb heat as quickly, but
will retain it longer than a similar area of land mass.
 Temperature changes over water therefore tend to be
more moderate and produce a different pressure
system from that over land. This pressure difference
can generate daily alternating land and sea breezes.